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Reservations direct or thru agent


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I was wondering if it is better to book the cruise direct via the website or with an agent?

 

The agent I use in the UK gives me a 50 pound discount everytime I book other cruises, however, if I had to cancel a cruise that is booked (with another cruise line)before final pay date - they told me I would lose the deposit.

How does it work if I book online?

 

Thank you

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I was wondering if it is better to book the cruise direct via the website or with an agent?

 

The agent I use in the UK gives me a 50 pound discount everytime I book other cruises, however, if I had to cancel a cruise that is booked (with another cruise line)before final pay date - they told me I would lose the deposit.

How does it work if I book online?

 

Thank you

 

I don't really understand the question. In the UK you always lose at least the deposit if you cancel. MSC has clamped down on agents offering any discounts so I prefer to book direct because

 

1) the prices are the same

2) the MSC website applies the repeat guest discount automatically

3) online bookings show in the "My

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Sorry, I am struggling with a cheap Android tablet. I will be back to iPad after this experience. Anyway....

 

Once you have booked online with MSC you can see full details of your booking and add drinks packages, in cabin treats, excursions etc online. Well you can when the system is working. If you book with a TA or even direct but over the phone none of these is possible.

 

Tim.

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Sorry, I am struggling with a cheap Android tablet. I will be back to iPad after this experience. Anyway....

 

Once you have booked online with MSC you can see full details of your booking and add drinks packages, in cabin treats, excursions etc online. Well you can when the system is working. If you book with a TA or even direct but over the phone none of these is possible.

 

Tim.

You can add packages, excursions cetc when you book through a TA. I've done exactly that for my next two cruises and both of them were through a TA ans both with MSC.

I still found I could get a better price via the TA and some OBC as well. what is more I could get the cabin of my choice via the TA rather than the limitted choice I was offered on line.

 

So in essence I've get a better experience wia a TA

 

 

incidentally I always do a dummy booking on line first and print it off to show the TA what the are having to better if they want my custom

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You can add packages, excursions cetc when you book through a TA. I've done exactly that for my next two cruises and both of them were through a TA ans both with MSC.

I still found I could get a better price via the TA and some OBC as well. what is more I could get the cabin of my choice via the TA rather than the limitted choice I was offered on line.

 

So in essence I've get a better experience wia a TA

 

 

incidentally I always do a dummy booking on line first and print it off to show the TA what the are having to better if they want my custom

 

 

 

The TA I use gives me the 50 pound discount on every booking we have made as a club incentive (never say no to money). Once after I'd booked a Celebrity cruise I saw it cheaper with another agent & they bettered the price to less than their competator.

 

I shall therefore continue to give them our custom.

 

Thanks

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You can add packages, excursions cetc when you book through a TA. I've done exactly that for my next two cruises and both of them were through a TA ans both with MSC.

I still found I could get a better price via the TA and some OBC as well. what is more I could get the cabin of my choice via the TA rather than the limitted choice I was offered on line.

 

So in essence I've get a better experience wia a TA

 

 

incidentally I always do a dummy booking on line first and print it off to show the TA what the are having to better if they want my custom

 

A year ago, I would have agreed with you on price but not with online booking of extras. Please share some sort of detail to point us in the direction of TAs that can beat MSC's online price AND give obc. I swear by the Co-op but since the crackdown even they give the same fare to the penny as MSC with no incentives to book with them.

 

As regarding booking extras online on the MSC website having booked with a TA, I am extremely sceptical given the lively thread on the subject. The reported experiences are that there is no online record of bookings made through third parties, let alone the facilities to add extras and amend details online.

 

Please convince me.

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I recently booked through a travel agent. Yes you can add drink packages or excursions on line through MSC. Click on "On board Services" and put in your booking number where it asks. Just ordered the drink package and have confirmation. Will be charged on embarkation.

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We always managed to get better prices / OBC trough online TAs. I also find price comparisons tedious on the MSC site, thince it requires the birth dates of all passengers before it will show the prices.

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I am starting to lean more towards doing direct with the company as I can cancel or make changes, add stuff, etc without going through a second person...ie the TA.....gives me more control I think....only book with a TA if there is some great perk added on....ie....free drink package or OBC or free specialty dinners.....can not believe that you Brits do not get your deposits back...here in NA if you cancel for any reason 90 days before the cruise your deposit is fully refundable....in the case of MSC we can hold cruises we like and might go on and get the cabin we want for a fantastic deal of only $100 per person....and hold for a year ahead or more.....for example we are holding a 20 day Tahiti cruise with a nice cabin for Jan 2015 for only $350 fully refundable on Princess...

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A year ago, I would have agreed with you on price but not with online booking of extras. Please share some sort of detail to point us in the direction of TAs that can beat MSC's online price AND give obc. I swear by the Co-op but since the crackdown even they give the same fare to the penny as MSC with no incentives to book with them.

 

As regarding booking extras online on the MSC website having booked with a TA, I am extremely sceptical given the lively thread on the subject. The reported experiences are that there is no online record of bookings made through third parties, let alone the facilities to add extras and amend details online.

 

Please convince me.

As MSC monitor this forum I shall not name any TA or suchlike that I deal with and risk them being "dealt with" by MSC to make them toe the line that they have, aginst competition law, enforced TAs to adopt.

 

As for online bookings of extras here is a screendump of my booking (via a TA) and my subsequent booking of the AI package

 

Certain details have been deleted but sufficient is left to convince you!

 

boking.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pete

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I have booked 2 MSC cruises through TAs and added the drinks packages via the MSC web site.

 

Admittedly I sailed on neither (1 due to a "technical error” and another due to family issues) but the extras were there for both.

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I've booked my next MSC cruise through Virgin Cruises and have booked drink packages online after the event. Saved about £200 on a weeks cruise and have the exact same product including BA flights.

 

When I next book (hopefully for Divina for October 2014) I will get a quote from MSC website and see if it can be bettered by a TA

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I stand corrected. It appears it is possible to add extras via the website (except for repos) but not to see and augment the details of the booking under 'My reservations' when you log in (with TA bookings).

 

Pete do you have any clues of names of TAs that give discounts and obc? Is it one of the biggies? And is this only for packages or do they extend to cruise only? Is it a house that eskimos live in or was once the queen?

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I stand corrected. It appears it is possible to add extras via the website (except for repos) but not to see and augment the details of the booking under 'My reservations' when you log in (with TA bookings).

 

Pete do you have any clues of names of TAs that give discounts and obc? Is it one of the biggies? And is this only for packages or do they extend to cruise only? Is it a house that eskimos live in or was once the queen?

My booking is cruise only .

i've cetainly had quotes from the eskimos which included discounts but they are not the ones I eventually used. Giving a cliue here that you could work out means that onlookers from the cruise line would be able to guess as well, which could ruin everything.

You could always look for clues to other methods of contact rather than this open forum.

 

 

 

Pete

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Pete ... It is not just MSC who are preventing travel agents from offering discounts to their UK customers all the major brands are doing it! despite allowing it to continue in North America .. :mad:

 

They are also still allowing cabins to be blocked by people many months or a year or more in advance who in some cases have no intention of taking the cruise booked because they can book others for the same time scale knowing full well they will not be penalised by the loss of their deposit if they cancel 90 days or so prior to the cruise date! yet passengers in the UK lose theirs with no come back in most cases nor are they allowed to transfer it to another date.

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My booking is cruise only .

i've cetainly had quotes from the eskimos which included discounts but they are not the ones I eventually used. Giving a cliue here that you could work out means that onlookers from the cruise line would be able to guess as well, which could ruin everything.

You could always look for clues to other methods of contact rather than this open forum.

 

Pete

 

Stop teasing me. Despite receiving Allegrissimo Premium free of charge and having the hotel charge removed on my last MSC cruise, I have no connection to MSC or the cruise industry. My email address is my first name @millea.com. Help me out!

 

Tim.

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I recently booked through a travel agent. Yes you can add drink packages or excursions on line through MSC. Click on "On board Services" and put in your booking number where it asks. Just ordered the drink package and have confirmation. Will be charged on embarkation.

 

I did exactly the same, also booking an excursion in addition to drinks package. TA price was very competitive. Before booking I contacted MSC and asked if they could match the price as I would have preferred direct booking, but they did not match. They also didn't offer any incentives. We went with the TA purely based on price and also because we were happy with the deck of the cabin offered.

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